NJ band hopes music is ‘company’ for SHU

The Cold Weather Company (CWC) performed in the Pirate’s Cove on Sept. 20, bringing with them a deeply-rooted appreciation for the NJ music scene. They performed several original songs, including their new single, “Clover.”

In an interview with The Setonian, the band discussed their growth and plans for the future.

The Cold Weather Company performed covers and original songs on campus Sept. 20.Kiera Alexander/Staff Photographer

CWC combines the singing and songwriting experience of two guitarists, Brian Curry, 27, and Jeff Petescia, 24, as well as their pianist, Steve Shimchick, 24.

The band considers themselves an alternative folk group with influences from Fleet Foxes, Mumford & Sons and Iron & Wine.

Curry and Petescia met at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ in the fall of 2011. They met on a park bench, realized they were both musicians and kept in touch. In 2012, they met Shimchick at an open mic night and started collaborating in 2013.

Their jamming began in Petescia’s attic on Huntington Street and before they knew it, they were writing a song. Their first gig was a charity event on the Rutgers campus where they performed their first original track “Horizon Fire,” and two covers: Passenger’s “Let Her Go” and Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky.”

After the show, the three stood outside in front of Petescia’s house and decided they needed a real band name. Petescia explained that because they started out in the attic, some of the original names they considered were “Wizards in the Attic” and “The Atticians”.

Eventually they thought of Cold Weather Company.

“We formed in the winter and our music relates to nature,” Shimchick said. “But we also became kind of the company for each other while playing together during the cold weather and our hope was that maybe music would be company for our listeners.”

Band members said they have found a support network in New Brunswick that has allowed their music to be heard.

“We were one of the folkier bands in a sea of the DIY basement show punk scene, which New Brunswick is so known for and people were so supportive of that,” Shimchick said.

In addition, Hidden Grounds, a coffee shop located in New Brunswick, has hosted CWC’s album releases and a variety of other shows. The shop named one of its signature brews after CWC’s track, “Wide-Eyed.”

Petescia, Curry and Shimchick explained the importance of young musicians finding their sound. Each CWC member has their own style that they have embraced and collaborated to make something new.

“Don’t be afraid to find your own style. Don’t be afraid to take opportunities, meet new people, and play for them,” Curry said.

Kendra Campbell, a sophomore sociology major and SAB Coffeehouse co-chair, said she knew immediately that CWC had to come to SHU.

“It’s always hard to tell if bands have the talent that they show online with how easy it can be to use edits and all of that,” she said. “My co-chair and I are always a little nervous at first, but our initial emails with the band went so well and [we] felt it was right.”

The Cold Weather Company plays local venues such as The Saint in Asbury Park and last spring they toured throughout the east coast. They made their way up to Vermont and Maine, and as far south as North Carolina, Virginia and Washington D.C.

The group hopes to continue touring around the U.S., more specifically the west coast and someday the U.K. Until then, their plan is to release new music over the next few months.

CWC plays Sept. 29 at the Bandade Fall Brewery Tour in Pitman, N.J. and Oct. 3 at the Zimmerli Art Museum on Rutgers’ College Avenue Campus. The band’s song, “Clover,” is available on iTunes, Spotify and Google Play.